Assessment of the Market for Compressed Air Efficiency Services

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THE DEMAND SIDE OF THE MARKETdid not have a clear understanding of the relationship between compressordischarge pressure and the largest pressure requirement fora single piece of equipment.• There were large gaps between individual respondents’ reportedcompressor discharge pressure and the largest pressure requirementfor a single piece of equipment.• Based on “rule of thumb” calculations, nearly 60% of respondentsshould have between 501 and 2000 gallons of air storage. There isa significant difference in the recommended amount of air storagecompared to the actual amount installed. Only 19% of respondentshave between 501 and 2000 gallons of air storage.• Only 10% of respondents reported that they kept track of theenergy cost of their compressed air systems.Interviews with 4 consultants with national experience in providingcompressed air system audits and efficiency services confirmed thatcurrent levels of system knowledge among plant engineers and systemoperating personnel is low. However, 3 of these consultants report thatawareness of the benefits of increased efficiency among plant engineersis increasing. This perception is consistent with findings from the PG&Estudy that over two-thirds of compressed air system mangers believethat they can substantially reduce the costs of operating the system.Consultants attribute the increase in awareness of efficiency opportunitiesto a number of factors, including the efforts of the Compressed AirChallenge ® , increased coverage of compressed air efficiency issuesin trade and industry publications, and utility programs. One consultantnoted that his customers tend to be aware of efficiency opportunitiesavailable from upgrades to compressed air system components—dryers,air storage, controls, as well as the compressors themselves. However,awareness of measures to reduce air demand is still virtually non-existent.By way of contrast, 44% of the customers interviewed for this studyreported that they periodically assess whether their end uses ofcompressed air are appropriate.There is no correlationbetween size andthe number ofmaintenance activitiesimplemented.Current System Managementand Maintenance PracticesMaintenance Practices. The assessment asked customers to name themaintenance activities they perform on a regular basis. Ninety percent ofthem reported undertaking at least one of the common maintenanceactivities identified in Table 2-10. Checking lubricants was mentioned byalmost three-quarters of all customers with over half citing air filtermaintenance. In-house staff performs these maintenance activities forover 75% of the customers with vendors and consultants doing so forthe rest.Generally, we would have expected that facilities with large compressedair systems would expend greater resources on their maintenance.However, we found that there was no correlation between size, asmeasured by the compressed air system horsepower, and the numberof maintenance activities implemented (See Table 2-11). The NewEngland study found that there was no relationship between system orfacility size and staff hours spent on system maintenance.U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY21
Compressed Air Market AssessmentOne of the consultants interviewed expressed the opinion that the level ofsystem maintenance efforts was declining due to trends in outsourcingand assignment of maintenance personnel to production positionsoccasioned by historically high levels of production.The percentage ofcustomers whohave made capitalimprovements totheir compressed airsystems to reduceenergy consumptionis very low.Leak Prevention Programs. Identification and repair of leaks in the airdistribution system and end-use tools can often reduce system energyuse by 10 to 15%. The value of leak prevention seems intuitively obvious,given the exposed nature of air lines and the audible hiss of leaks.However, only 35% of those interviewed during this assessment regularlyconducted leak prevention programs in their facilities. There wasno consistent pattern of association between the implementationof leak prevention programs and either SIC or size of the establishment.The primary activities included in these leak prevention routinesare checking for leaks near compressors/dryers and repairing leaks(See Table 2-12). For almost 90% of the customers with leak preventionprograms, in-house staff performs these routines.System Monitoring and Management. The assessment contained anumber of questions concerning customers’ efforts to monitor compressedair system performance. They were asked if they had made avariety of operating measurements over the past 2 years. Table 2-13displays the different quantities that were measured by those interviewed.One-quarter of them had made no measurements at all. Measuringpressure levels was cited most often, by almost two-thirds of the customers.Forty percent of them mentioned making operating measurementsrelated to energy use: demand on compressor motors, energyuse by compressor motors, leak loads, and load profiles (defined asperiodic demand measurements over the course of one or more days).The high proportion of customers who report measuring pressure levelsis consistent with the high proportion of customers who are concernedwith reliability of air supply.In-house staff carried out the above measurements for almost threequartersof the establishments that performed such measures.TABLE 2-12: Leak Prevention ActivitiesLeak Prevention ActivityPercent Included in LeakPrevention ProgramsCheck for leaks around compressors and air dryers 77%Repair leaks 67%Check joints for leaks 49%Check regulators and tools for leaks 45%Tag leaks 41%Check for open bleed valves 39%Check bypass valves 37%Number of customers 7522U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
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Assessment of the Market for Compressed Air Efficiency Services

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